I received a request for a phone Q and A interview from a business reporter at The Atlantic.com early last week. With the busy fall days and our “farm transition”, I was tempted to turn it down. But, the request intrigued me as the Q and A was part of a series entitled “Working” which explores the range of things that Americans do for work and how they feel about their profession. After completing the phone interview last Friday, I was glad that I chose to engage. The reporter, Bourree Lam, held genuine interest in our farm and the planned 15 minute interview spanned closer to 45 minutes.

Finding the courage to engage with the media provides a steady challenge for me. Over the past 15 years, I have performed hundreds of media interviews — some of them friendly and rewarding, and some of them uncomfortable and disturbing. The positive experiences teach me that there are those that are truly interested in learning about “where their food comes from”, and the negative ones open my eyes to the passionate judgements and resulting hatred that sadly has found a solid place in our current culture. While I feel as though my family and my education prepared me to be a contributing adult, I am not sure that anything provides the necessary skill set for dealing with the zealous hatred sometimes spewed from strangers. I breathed a sigh of relief at the end of the interview as Bourree’s respectful interest put a smile on my face and hope in my heart.

One of my favorite phrases is “pack your faith”. Nothing meaningful in life comes with a guarantee, and the road to excellence is rarely comfortable. Instead of thinking of taking a chance when faced with a decision, I prefer to pack my faith and believe that it will ultimately lead me to a successful place. Life isn’t a game of Roulette, it is a journey made up of decisions and action. Inside each one of us exists a well of strength, and sometimes the difference between victory and defeat is determined by whether or not we chose to engage.

You will notice that the comment section is not completely friendly, but I enjoyed a tremendously positive engagement with the reporter and I am packing my faith that the article will at least put a face on farming for someone that reads the article with an intention of learning.

5 responses to “The Atlantic.com”

The fact that their comment section is less than friendly is an understatement. Too many people have not learned where their food comes from. Two lines that are some of my favorites,
Genesis 9:3
Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.
Genesis 1:29
And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.
Our food is provided for use by our own industrious natures. Without our thoughtful input and constant attention, we would not have robust agriculture and man would still be eating what we could gather. I, myself, prefer a good steak now and then, not twigs, grass and berries.
Thank you for your insight on agriculture, especially the fine art of raising quality beef for us to enjoy.

I read the article and landed on your blog. Thanks for contributing to the article and thanks for having such an interesting and informative blog. I enjoy learning about the wider world because it makes me a better human.

As I tell my kids “Being mean is easy; being nice is hard. If something is hard to do, then that is the thing you need to do.” A simple message but meant to convey compassion, understanding, and patience in the face of the unknown and a reminder of how to treat others.

Thank you for reading! I am especially touched by your kind message. It means so very much to me. Being nice is sometimes hard, but it is a good habit and an awesome life skill! Your kids are lucky to have you :). I hope that you will keep reading.

Welcome to Feedyard Foodie

A native of urban Palm Beach County, Florida; I was an Ivy League educated athlete fueled by beef for many years before I understood “where my beef came from.” Now, I am a mother of three and live with my husband in Nebraska where we run a cattle feedyard and farming operation. Feed Yard Foodie is a site where people can come to read about the real story of beef, written by someone who actually gets their hands dirty.

Behind the Scenes at my Yard, Will Feed, Inc.

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"Believing---there are several layers to it. There's the surface-level type of believing, where you acknowledge that something is true. Then there is a deeper kind of belief--the type that gets inside of you and actually changes you. It's the kind of belief that changes your behavior, your attitude, and your outlook on life, and the people around you can't help but notice."